Interesting News (6/4/13)

I’ve been talking a lot about authenticity lately – same general conundrum, different day. And in an interesting twist of coincidental fate, Julie Maroh has also been talking a lot about authenticity lately…

Julie Maroh is the author of Blue Angel (2010), a French graphic novel that was adapted by director Abdellatif Kechiche into Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013). Blue is the Warmest Colour went on to win this year’s Palme d’Or (“Golden Palm”) at the Cannes Film Festival – this is a big deal. You see, everyone was shocked when a film that included a “a no-holds-barred twelve minute erotic sex scene between two women” (here) won the grand champion prize at what’s arguably the world’s biggest deal film festival.

And apparently, no one was more shocked than Julie, who had much to say about authenticity.

(pictured: this year’s Golden Palm)

Among many other topics, Julie has discussed the lack of lesbians present in a film about lesbians and thus, consequently, the lack of lesbians engaged in the film’s sex scene. To wit:

It appears to me that this is what was missing on the set: lesbians…

The heteronormative laughed [at the film] because they don’t understand it and find the [sex] scene ridiculous. The gay and queer people laughed because it’s not convincing, and found it ridiculous. And among the only people we didn’t hear giggling were the potential guys too busy feasting their eyes on an incarnation of their fantasies on screen. (here)

Authenticity, authenticity… (“real”/real sex? “real”/real lesbians? film depictions and on and on…)

One slight quarrel though: I wonder how Julie knew exactly who was giggling and why? Because there’s absolutely no way to know that. And FYI: it doesn’t matter how much sex, hardcore or otherwise, you watch – sometimes even the most seasoned viewers find different ways and contexts to squirm in our chairs.

The moral arguments against pornography are well-known. However, even apart from questions of fidelity and objectification, there is an inescapable problem with porn…

What could it be??!!

(apparently, there are actually three inescapable things)

le sigh…

Now ordinarily, I’m all for people thinking whatever they want to think about whatever it is they’re thinking on… except, of course, when they’re spreading blatant falsehoods in a discussion with zero nuance. That’s not ok.

Unfortunately, “The Justice Side of Porn” is more about sensationalized BS than anything, which also wouldn’t bother… err… surprise me given the source. But I gotta tell you – the amount of times this “article” was shared around the interwebs (exactly 5,239 at the time of writing this on Facebook alone!!) is actually something I found disturbing.

I find the idea of porn a bit unsettling. The fact that a huge number of people watch countless explicit videos before they have any sexual experiences of their own introduces a kind of sexual voyeurism, which may certainly encourage a dissociation between sex and relationships. But it’s a bit of a leap to then argue that teenagers are unable to tell the difference between porn and reality.

I’m actually quite bored by people referring to porn as this “fantasy” that leaves men dissatisfied with the reality of sex. Show me these horrible men and I’ll find 100 other things they’re dissatisfied with. As a teenager – and as a 23-year-old, teenage feels not that far away – real-life sex is not something you stop to analyse midway through. Sure, it’s an absolute minefield of potential disappointment and rejection, and anything else you can write pages and pages about in the back of your English exercise book, but for the majority of people I’d be amazed if it wasn’t just about the most immersive activity possible. The fact that some girls feel pressured into recreating pornographic behaviour is a sad truth, and one that needs urgent attention. But you’d be a fool to believe sexual insecurities were invented with the internet. (here)

Hell yes!!

Combined multi-faceted factors and influences, nuance, common sense, and a lack of hysteria – excellent.

Take a moment to read Bertie’s entire statement here. It restored my faith in (some of) humanity. Perhaps there’s hope for us after all..?